Friday, 28 August 2015

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

So Monday was National Popcorn Day. Naturally I made some popcorn, because Broadchurch was on and I needed something tasty to nibble on to stop myself from squealing “ohmygodilooooovethisshowsoooomuch” and annoying my housemates too much.

Popcorn is amazing really, when you think about it. How an inside out dried up seed can explode to reveal such a fluffy inside once reversed, it’s kind of like a coconut? Ok, no, it’s nothing like a coconut. I’m trying to work out what it’s like but I just don’t have the time... answers on a postcard please.

And who actually stumbled across it, is my next thought? I have visions of a cave woman, basket of dried corn in her arms as she heads out to plant them in a neighboring field, but she trips over a dinosaur egg that’s been left out (I’m playing fast and loose with historical facts here) and accidentally spills some into a hot pan, much to the delight of her cave crew, a short ‘pop pop pop’ later.

Anyway, I digress.

I've always thought making homemade popcorn was difficult and that microwave popcorn was easy, but I have to tell you – it’s a big fat LIE!

Each and every time I have bought microwave popcorn, I balk at the plastic stench seeping out as it goes round and round inside, and I can’t count how many times I have had to dump the bag the sink as I peer in to find the congealed steaming mess of popcorn surrounding a blackened core hotter than the centre of the earth...

But it needn't be so dramatic, and here’s why. Making homemade traditional style popcorn is bleedin’ as easy as hell, there’s hardly any kernels left over as wastage and you can make as much as you like! And it’s much cheaper. And you can control the flavour. It’s goes on.

The recipe is below – please enjoy! And do let me know how you get on if you make some.

WHAT YOU NEED

Coconut oil

Popcorn kernels

Large pot/casserole dish with lid (lid is crucial)

Butter

Salt and pepper (or whatever seasoning you fancy, chilli?)

WHAT TO DO

Place the pot on the hob, add three large table spoons of coconut oil into the pan and turn on the heat

Add a few, between 3 – 4 kernels into the pan, put on the lid and wait for them all to pop, this will let you know the oil is at the perfect temperature, so take it off the heat for about 30 seconds

Pour in the amount of kernels you want, there’s no easy way of knowing how much, it depends on the size of your pan. I suggest playing it safe – there was a moment when we thought the popcorn would never end

Put the pot back on the heat, but give the pot a quick shake from time to time. Soon you will hear the kernels starting to pop! Keep shaking the pot every 30 seconds of so. The popping will be pretty constant, but worth having a peek under the lid (a small peek, be very careful not to take the lid off of it will go everywhere!)

When the popping slows down a lot, or there looks like there’s not much more room in the pot to fit popcorn take it off the heat. Transfer the popcorn into whatever dish you will eat from, pour the butter over the popcorn and stir, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Sunday, 30 March 2014

When she broke into that country cottage back in the day to have
a wee sit on the three bears’ chairs and sample a spoonful of their cooked
oats, she need merely decide whether she preferred the porridge that was too
hot, too cold or juuuuuust right.

If the thieving
blonde was around today, her head would probably explode at the variation available.

There wasn’t any honey, compote, raisins, or golden syrup to
flavour it with.

She didn’t have to choose from whole oats, rolled oats or oats
that had been soaked overnight. She had no worry about whether to make it with
skimmed, semi or full fat milk – or if she was really being stingy with
herself, tap water.... yuuuumm.

Then there’s the question to salt or not to salt.

However do we manage
to get through each day? It’s a minefield! Sort of....

Almost a third of British people eat porridge every day. That’s
21 million bowls of porridge being consumed each morning. If we think the
standard porridge serving is about a mug full, the equivalent of 1,890 Olympic
swimming pools full of porridge oats are being gobbled up by us Brits every day
of the week.

That’s a lot! Can you buy shares in Scot’s Porridge Oats?
Hearty food for thought.

It’s hardly surprising. Porridge is a fantastic start to the day as it
is full of protein, low in carbs, keeps you full until lunch and can be customised within an inch of its life
so keeps everyone happy.

I personally have eaten porridge almost every day for the
past 3 years – only skipping my hearty breakfast for a poached egg on rye.

The nation’s love of porridge has even spawned a world porridge making competition
– The Golden Spurtle. Last year’s winner was John Boa from Skye, in case you were wondering.

So today, whilst eating my steaming bowl of whole rolled oats,
cooked in the microwave with skimmed milk and garnished with blueberries and
strawberries I wondered... what does your porridge say about you?

Here’s a little flow chart based on no science or research whatsoever.

According to a recent study in America, 69% of the US population tracks their health and fitness stats in some capacity.

It may be by using an app of some kind or the notepad function
on their phone, some even put pen to paper and jot their findings in a notebook
(I know - retro!) and the rest just keep a - probably quite inaccurate - tally in their
head.

I fall into the first category, religiously recording my
WODs and weights on my iPhone.

I rarely look back at them to be honest, but I know they’re
there. When I do refer back, it’s always great to see how far I’ve come – heavier lifts, bigger
reps, basically just better.

The SleepTime app is also one of my favourite personal data trackers. For some reason, being awarded a percentage for the quality of my sleep is
something exciting to look forward to in the morning.

I even feel competitive
when I compare against other people – bizarre!

There is a point to all this.

If you’re a gadget fan or follower of tech in anyway, you
will know that ‘wearable technology’ is all the rage; one of the biggest trends
to come out of CES this year.

One such gadget I have my eye on is the FitBit Flex. The
wrist band looks rather cool and comes in a variety of funky colours, tracking both your daily activity and nightly sleep quality.

It allows you to set goals
which you keep tabs on via the lights on the wristband itself, so you know if
you need to get up and out to meet the bar set for calorie burning that day.

It also syncs wirelessly with all your devises, creating your
own personal dashboard to gain insight into your stats and progress.
Geektastic!

http://www.fitbit.com

Courtesy of FitBit

Valleau Apparel –
Sports bras you want to wear

I’m a fan of finding cool new brands and products, and funding
them on Kickstarter if I can.

So imagine my sheer disappointment when I missed out on
funding Valleau Apparel’s first crowd funding foray last autumn... by just a
day!

Created by a Californian called Katie, the collection of
workout tops offer something different. Us ladies out there know that sports
bras aren’t always the most sightly, which is understandable as they often have
to prioritise structure over style to ensure we’re supported in the best way
possible.

Valleau Apparel’s range offers bright colours and the unique back
shapes ensure you’ll look great whatever angle. They come with a variety of support
levels as per most sports bras; from the light support Mermaid bra, to the Sea Breeze and Signature for
more intense work outs.

Whether they are supportive enough is yet to be determined,
but I’m definitely going to give them a try.

These scrummy little natural energy balls are my latest love
– the Peanut Protein Ball and the Coconut & Macadamia Protein Ball are must
haves for the transfer journey between work and the gym, when you need a little
boost without the bloat.

Delicious little bites of energy, the balls are gluten free
and high in protein so great mini post-gym recovery snacks too.

Buy them online, at many supermarkets and health food stores
nationwide.